WALTHAM, Mass. – The Saint Anselm College men's basketball team fell on the road against Bentley University, 78-75, during a Northeast-10 Conference tilt on Wednesday night. The Hawks drop to 0-3 in league play while the Falcons improve to a 2-1 conference record.
UP NEXT:
- The Hawks return to the Hilltop on Saturday, Dec. 2 facing Assumption University for their next Northeast-10 showdown. The contest is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. start time at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium.
Score: Saint Anselm 75, Bentley 78
Records: Saint Anselm 2-3 (0-3 NE10); Bentley 5-2 (2-1 NE10)
Location: Waltham, Mass. (Charles A. Dana Center)
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Junior Sean McCarthy (Cork, Ireland) finished a layup to open the scoring for Saint Anselm after stealing the ball to tie the game at 2-2. Fifth-year Tyler Arbuckle (Bristol, Conn.) then drained two triples to put the Hawks ahead 8-4. A 7-2 run gave Bentley the lead back before sophomore Josh Morissette (Exeter, N.H.) knocked down a three-pointer to regain a two-point advantage. Senior Matt Becker (Fairfield, Conn.) finished his second bucket of the night followed by two made free-throw attempts from McCarthy to stay ahead 17-13.
- Approaching the midway point of the first half, Cash McClure would tie the game at 17-17 after laying in a bucket. Shortly after, the Falcons would hit back-to-back triples to take a 23-21 lead at the 9:02 mark. Junior Zac Taylor (Victoria, Australia) produced his second layup of the game followed by a pair of three-point shots from Morissette to even the score at 29-29. In the last five minutes of the first half, junior Keith Robinson (Phillip Island, Australia) poured in eight points for Saint Anselm highlighted by two triples to regain the lead. Freshman Jordan Horne (Newport News, Va.) and Morissette each made late three-point shots to give the Hawks a 43-42 edge heading into the break.
- After going up 47-42 to start the second half, the Falcons connected seven points to take back a two-point advantage. Arbuckle responded by pouring in the next six points for the Hawks, tying the game up at 53-53. At the 11:46 mark, Morissette knocked down another triple which kick-started an 11-0 run for Saint Anselm to secure their largest lead of the game by 10 points.
- Bentley immediately answered by stringing together four three-point shots highlighted by Kellan Bochenek hitting three of the four triples. After Morissette tied the score up at 68-68 with his bucket, both teams continued to exchange late points. Arbuckle's layup with less than two minutes left in the game gave Saint Anselm a one-point advantage, however, Laput quickly responded with a bucket to shift the score back into Bentley's favor once again. Saint Anselm created scoring chances in the final minute of the half but the Falcons would cement the 78-75 win with a pair of good free throws by Laput.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- The Falcons outshot the Hawks after going 29-63 (46.0%) from the floor while Saint Anselm drained 10 triples in comparison to Bentley's eight.
- Saint Anselm posted five steals and five blocks in the game however Bentley held a 38-37 edge in total rebounds.
- The Falcons made 34 points in the paint while the Hawks converted 11 points off second chances and eight points from turnovers.
- Arbuckle (8-17 FG, 2-3 3-FG, 3-6 FT) and Morissette (8-14 FG, 5-9 3-FG) each poured in 21 points apiece for the Hawks combining for nine rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and two steals.
- Becker tallied a season-high 15 rebounds (7-8) in the game to go along with 10 points (4-15 FG, 2-2 FT), three assists, two blocks and a steal.
- This marked the 103rd meeting between these programs with Bentley now leading 53-50 in the all-time series with tonight's victory.
STAY CONNECTED:
